The consultation
will seek public feedback on the strategy as well as parcels
of land Council has identified as potential growth areas to
provide enough land for housing and industry as
Horowhenua’s population grows.

Mayor Michael Feyen said
the draft Growth Strategy looks out to 2040 and it will
guide decisions about where and how to accommodate growth
while maintaining our unique character and protecting our
environment.

“Current assumptions are that the
population of Horowhenua is expected to grow by just under a
third by 2040 – to accommodate that we are likely to need
about 244 new homes built every year – so we need more
land set aside for residential growth,” he said.

“We
expect the greatest growth will occur in Levin, and we need
to ensure our existing and future infrastructure is better
equipped to accommodate it. However, we will need quality
infrastructure in all parts of the district where growth is
expected.”

The draft Horowhenua Growth Strategy 2040
doesn’t include the proposed Ōtaki to North of Levin
Expressway, and Mayor Feyen acknowledges this is unhelpful
and frustrating.

“The expressway will be incorporated
into our planning once NZ Transport Agency has made its
decision. Growth is already happening in the Horowhenua and
it is therefore vital to involve tangata whenua and the
community from the outset.”

Council Growth Response
Manager Daniel Haigh said Council officers started preparing
for growth by talking with members of the local property and
development community to understand where there were gaps in
the market.

“We then looked at land available for
development. We took the growth figures and worked out how
many homes would be needed in each town to fulfil the
expected demand and the amount of land needed to accommodate
them.

“Following that we identified appropriate areas
and started talking to landowners one-on-one to discover
their aspirations and accommodate them where we can,” Mr
Haigh said.

Other technical work is being carried out,
including hazard assessment of liquefaction and flood risks
in proposed development locations.

“With regards to industrial land,
the plan is to re-zone just over 40 hectares of land in
south-east Levin adjacent to current industrial land. No
other changes are proposed, as we believe there is enough
existing industrial land that is already zoned,” Mr Haigh
said.

Council needs to hear back from the community about
the draft Horowhenua Growth Strategy 2040 and the proposed
growth areas.

“We need to hear your thoughts on what
areas would be best for new residential areas,” he
said.

A short online video has been created to help people
understand the proposal and how it might affect their
community.

Feedback from the consultation will inform the
Horowhenua Growth Strategy 2040, which will be presented to
Council’s Elected Members to be adopted. While the Growth
Strategy won’t change the zoning of the land identified
for growth, it will set the direction for zoning changes to
be implemented through the District Plan.

Mr Haigh said if
the strategy is adopted then work will begin on a public
District Plan change process to alter the current zoning
(e.g. Rural) to zoning that would allow greater levels of
development (e.g. Residential, Greenbelt Residential or
Industrial). This would be unlikely to start until mid-year
and could take a year to 18 months to be
completed.

Engagement period

The draft Horowhenua Growth
Strategy 2040 is out for public consultation, along with the
2018-2038 Long Term Plan.

The Consultation period begins
on Friday 23 February 2018.

Council Officers will have
maps showing the proposed growth areas, and these will be
available at planned public engagement activities,
including:

• Saturday, February 24 at Let’s Move
Together, Levin Aquatic Centre

• Saturday, March 3 at
Shannon BBQ, Te Maire Park

• Saturday, March 10 at
Foxton Beach Summer Market, Holben Pavilion

•
Saturday, March 17 at Ōhau Market, Ōhau Hall

A drop in
session will be held between 3pm and 6:30pm on Tuesday,
March 20 at Horowhenua District Council, Levin Please visit
the Have Your Say page on Council’s website to view maps
of Horowhenua’s towns and settlements where growth areas
are proposed.

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